TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page – – – – – – – – – i
Approval Page – – – – – – ii
Certification – – – – – – iii
Dedication – – – – – – – – – iv
Acknowledgements – – – – – – v
Table of Contents – – – – – – vi
List of Tables – – – – – – viii
Abstract – – – – – – – – – x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study — — — — — — 1
Statement of the Problem — — — — — — 7
Purpose of the Study — — — — — 8
Research Questions — — — — — — — 9
Significance of the Study — — — — — — 10
Scope of the Study – — — — —— — — 10
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Conceptual Framework — — — — — — 12
An Overview of ICT Resources in the Libraries — — — 12
Potentials of ICT in Academic/Polytechnic Libraries– — — 15
Attitude of the Library Users in the use of ICT Resource — — 19
Uses of ICT Resources in the Polytechnic Libraries — — — 21
Problems Associated with the use of ICT Resources in the Academic
/Polytechnic Libraries — — — — — — 25
Strategies for Effective Use of ICT Resources in the Polytechnic
Libraries — — — — — — — — 29
Theoretical Framework — — — — — — 31
The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) — — — — 31
Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) — — — — — 32
Review of Related
Empirical Studies — — — — 33
Summary of Literature
Review — — — — — 41
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODS
Research Design — — — — — — — 43
Area of the Study — — — — — — — 43
Population of the Study — — — — — — 44
Sample and Sampling Technique — — — — — 44
Instrument for Data Collection — — — — — 45
Validation of the Instrument — —- — — — — 46
Method of Data Collection — — — — — — 46
Method of Data Analysis — — — — — — 47
CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION OF DATA —— – — — 48
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Discussion
of Findings — — — — — — 70
Implications
of the Study — — — — — — 77
Recommendations
– — — — — — — 78
Limitations
— – — — — — — — 79
Suggestions
for Further Research — — — — — 80
Conclusion
— — — — — — — — 80
REFERENCES — — – — — — — — 82
APPENDICES — — — — — — — — 93
LIST
OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
- Percentage responses of the library staff on the ICT resources available in the library — — — 49
- Observation checklist of the ICT resources available in the libraries under Study – — — — — — 50
- Percentage responses of the library staff on the purposes of using ICT resources in polytechnic libraries under study — 53
- Library staff responses on extent of ICT resources used in the libraries under study — — —— — – 54
- Mean responses of library staff (users) on their extent of satisfaction with the use of ICT resources in their libraries — 55
- Mean responses of the library staff on the problems associated with the use of ICT resources in their libraries — 57
- Mean responses of the library staff on the strategies for enhancement of ICT resources use in their libraries — — 58
- Percentage responses of the library users on the availability of ICT resources in their libraries — — — — – 60
- Percentage responses of the library users on the purposes of using ICT resources in their libraries – — — — 62
- Mean responses of the library users on the extent of ICT resources
- used in their libraries — — — 63
- Percentage responses of the library users on their attitude towards the use of ICT resources in their libraries — — 64
- Mean responses of the users on their extent of satisfaction with the use of ICT resources in their libraries – — — 65
- Mean response of the library users on the problems associated with the use of ICT resources in the library — — — 66
- Mean responses of the users on the strategies that could be adopted to enhance the use of ICT resources among users in the libraries under study 68
ABSTRACT
This study was designed to determine the utilization of information and communication technology (ICT) resources among polytechnic libraries in Delta and Edo States, Nigeria. The objectives were to identify the ICT resources available; ascertain the purposes of using ICT resources; ascertain the extent of ICT resources used; determine the attitude of the users towards the use of ICT resources; ascertain the extent of users satisfaction with ICT use; identify the problems associated with the use of ICT resources and suggest strategies that could enhance the use of ICT resources among library users. A descriptive survey research design was used for the study, and 30% of the registered library users for 2010/2011 academic session (329) and 147 (all) of the library staff population making total of 476 from four polytechnic libraries were sampled using stratified random sampling technique. Questionnaire and observation checklist were used for data collection. Out of 476 copies of questionnaire distributed, 463 were returned, representing 97.20%. In analyzing the data obtained, frequency counts, simple percentages, and mean () were used as the statistical methods. The results obtained from the findings, revealed that various types of ICT resources are made available in the libraries; that these ICT resources are used for different purposes; that most ICT resources in the libraries are under used by users; that the users have positive attitude towards the use of ICT resources; that the users are not too satisfied with the use of ICT resources in the libraries; that there are some problems associated with the use of ICT resources by the library staff and users; and many strategies were suggested by the users and staff to enhance maximum use of these resources. Based on the findings, it was recommended that available resources should be accessible to the users; power supply should be improved upon; regular ICT programmes should be organized for the library staff and users; provision of adequate ICT resources, adequate assistance should be given by the library staff to the users, adequate fund should be provided, and more structures should be put-in place to accommodate more users.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background
to the Study
Academic
libraries are those libraries found in the higher institutions of learning. Academic
libraries according to Ifidon and Okoli (2002) are libraries attached to
educational institutions like universities, polytechnics, & colleges of
education. Arua (2001) described academic libraries as those libraries of
tertiary institutions of learning such as universities, polytechnic, colleges
of education, colleges of agriculture etc. According him, the objectives of
academic libraries are tied to those of their parent bodies. The general
objectives /functions of academic libraries are as follows: provide materials
to support teaching and research; provide materials to assist library users in
their own personal self development; provide specialized information service to
appropriate segments of the institutions which include polytechnics etc.
Polytechnic
libraries are libraries of polytechnics, which are meant to provide information
materials to support teaching, learning and research. Clark (1999) defined
polytechnic libraries as those libraries established by polytechnic parent
body’s to provide materials to support the teaching and research objectives of
their parent bodies. Polytechnic libraries are part of academic libraries. The
objectives and functions of polytechnic libraries are similar to that of
academic libraries and tied to those of their parent bodies. Olurunnyomi (1994)
in Okechukwu (2005) gear that polytechnic libraries help to educate people,
accelerate progress and provide the data required for the solution of
increasing complex economic, social, educational, cultural, political and
scientific problems. The duties of the polytechnic libraries as shown here are
to accumulate, process, store and disseminate sciences and technology
information, which are vital for the rapid scientific and technological
advancement of the country.
Polytechnic
libraries are expected to be effective and efficient in the services they
offers to ensure that the needs of the users are met; current and accessible
information resources are suitable and available all the time. These
information resources should be rendered to the library users timely and in
appropriate manner; they should ensure that the resources provided are of high
quality, accurate and recent. The
library staff should assist the library users in interpreting the information,
when provided and where necessary especially those generated through software
packages. They should encourage and promote users’ awareness of new services
such as current awareness services (CAS) selective dissemination of information
(SDI), and so on. This should help to establish the relationship between
information and libraries. Moreover, polytechnic libraries should provide
library users with personalized guidance and support as this will sharpen their
information search and application skills. The polytechnic library struggles to
maintain its credibility in the provision of library materials for teaching,
learning and research and must accept the use of ICT resources within their
reach.
Polytechnic
libraries as a part of academic libraries, this is imperative. However, it was
pre-observed by this researcher that in many polytechnic libraries, major
library services like CAS, SDI, etc. are not effectively being rendered due to
the manually processing system of services, except ICT resources are properly
utilized. ICT are fastly becoming veritable tools in enhancing effective
service in modern libraries and information centres. Many polytechnic library
services can be carried out smoothly with the use of ICT resources with greater
efficiency and effectiveness without the barrier of space and time. To
appreciate the essence of ICT for effective library services among polytechnic
libraries, one has to consider the use of technologies especially the modern
digital ones which are in existence to assist the library staff and users in
achieving their objectives and needs. These resources also include all devices
that can be used in processes of storage, retrieval, manipulation, transmission
and reception of digital information essential for teaching, learning, and
research in the polytechnic libraries.
Information
has become a vital raw material in our rapidly changing society. Oduwole,
Oyewumi and Oyesiku, (2002) assert that, all human activities on earth have
much to do with information and communication of all kinds. These activities
which can be documented in books or other materials and kept in a medium or
organized place called a library, for general use and consultation. Ochogwu (1984) asserts that,
in the great ancient libraries of Egypt and Mesopotamia which date back to
about 300 B.C., information resources of that period underwent a series of
developments in their storage methods. Thus library at that time were popularly
held in papyrus and clay tablets in Egypt and Mesopotamia respectively. He
further asserted that from that time to this present decade in library history,
technology has impacted greatly on the operations of libraries in the evident
in the continued transition of these information storage devices from papyrus
and clay tablets to the present day books along with other forms of electronic
storage media such as magnetic disks, magnetic tapes, microforms, Compact Disk
Read Only Memory (CD ROM), and so on. In recent time information can be access
through electronic media known as information and communication technology
(ICT).
ICT is
viewed by the researcher as a combination of computers and telecommunication
systems to improve the quality of services rendered by library staff to the
library users in order to improve teaching, learning and research through its
gathering, processing, storing, connecting, analyzing data functions and
dissemination of information. The World Bank (1999) described ICT as “a set of
activities which is facilitated by electronic means, the processing,
transmission and display of information”. Daniel, Oketunji, Okojie &
Abdulsalam, (2003) have observed that the information technologies found in our
libraries today is a combination of computers, storage media, and
telecommunications. Computers provide the processing, storage and retrieval
capabilities of information in the library while telecommunication provides the
capabilities for the transfer/communication of information from one work
station to another in the library. ICT according to Yusuf (2005) can be
described as computer based tools used by people to work with the information
and communication processing need and organization. Matthew (1999) described
ICT as the mechanism used to process, store and transmit information which
could be numeric, text and graphic form.
There are
different kinds of ICT resources available in our libraries. They include:
personal computers, digital television, camera, internet, Compact Disk Read
Only Memory (CD ROM), flash drives, floppy diskettes, printers, scanners,
photocopiers, telephones, radio etc. Oketunji (2001) stated that the
information and communication technologies (ICT) available for library use include:
personal computers, Compact Disk Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), facsimile (Fax),
networks such as Local Area Networks, Wide Area Network, electro coping
(scanning), and internet. Daniel and Mathew (2000) described the new
development as tools of information delivery in the new millennium. They
enumerated eleven tools as follows: internet World Wide Web (www), electronic
mail (E-mail), bibliographic control tools, online searching creativity and
innovations.
ICT is
impacting positively on all aspects of the library and information services,
and Nigerian community is now aware of the role which the library can play in
the information super-highway. Arising from the change role of library services,
operations, library staff in emerging digital libraries, efforts are now in top
gear by library staff and information scientists to play this role effectively
as the internet, E-mail, CD-ROMs, telephones and other resources are used as
tools for generating, obtaining, processing, storing, retrieving and also as disseminating
information services in polytechnic libraries.
The use of ICT resources in polytechnic libraries has relevance to
the methods and means of collecting, storing, retrieving and disseminating
information. There is no doubt that the rate at which scientific information
and knowledge is being produced in polytechnic libraries has greatly increased
research work and perfection in the techniques and methods of disseminating the
result of these works. Influx of information (information explosion) has in
turn created problems for the polytechnic libraries in keeping track of the
vast information through its conventional methods (manual processing system).
Information explosion has increased the problems which polytechnic libraries
have to face. Oderinde, (1977) in Nwegbu, (2004) said that the library
clientele continue to increase year after year while the complexity of their
information needs continues to increase and the urgency with which the
information required is to be supplied might be vital to the success of
activities for which the information is needed. For this reason, polytechnic
libraries have to adopt the use of ICT, seeking its aid in the solution to the
complex information problems which they have to face daily; weekly and yearly.
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